JosiasDenzler

Hey everyone thanks for taking the time! I just acquired a 1985 Dodge Diplomat and I love this car but it need work to get it running to par. It's a bit slow on acceleration and I get about 100 miles off of 12 gallons. I don't know much at all about carburetors or cars at all but I'm willing to learn and I need help!

Iowan

There’s a lot of possibilities here, the 318 was a smog dog in the first place but it could probably use a new set of plugs. There’s a chance the converter is plugged sorry I can’t remember if your car is lean burn or not but if it is your problem could be there.

JosiasDenzler

unfortunately the lean burn..just changed the plugs cap and rotar. Also cut the cat off recently. So far all of this has helped a bit but I'm at a loss of where to go next. I'm still getting killed in acceleration and my mileage is like 100 miles to 12 gallons

Archer

J -

Timing? If the motor was never rebuilt, the timing change could have slipped.
Bad or poorly configured carb? Try playing with, or rebuilding, it.
Vacuum leaks? Get a vacuum gauge and see where it is. Spray a water mist around the carb and vac lines and listen for changes in rpm.
Dying motor? Do a compression check. If the motor is sound, you can do basic bolt-on mods; the only thing you can't readily fix is the compression ratio.

Sorry, not a lot to go on.

Archer

JosiasDenzler

I used carb spray the other day try to locate it but I do have a vacuum leak somewhere. When I spray the cleaner towards the back of the carb the idle drops but I'm still having trouble finding the source. I can hear the leak at some points when I step on the gas like it's sucking for air. Maybe the air filter gasket? Between the carb and the housing?